The Sea Prince Chronicles
by Meredeth Draheim
Summary: 'The Sea Prince Chronicles' is a fan-fiction story based on the characters from Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. It follows Percy and his friends as they adventure in order to take down the Titan of fame, Asia, and her minions.
1. Chapter 1 - Annabeth's Suspicions

CHAPTER 1 – ANNABETH'S SUSPICIONS

Percy Jackson playfully ran ahead of Annabeth Chase, and ended up tripping over a root that was hidden by the tall grass of the Camp Half-Blood forest. He fell with a loud _ouf_.

"That's what you get for trying to get ahead of me, Seaweed Brain."

He looked up at Annabeth, who stood with her hand on her hip. She looked cute, in an armed, Demigod kinda way. "Help me up?"

She grinned. "Nah."

He watched her begin to walk away. Then, she turned around and asked, "Are you coming?"

He smiled to himself, shook his head and got up to his feet. He brushed off his clothes, and swept his long black hair to the side. "Remind me why I love you?"

She gave him a glare, which he was used to. He shrugged it off and followed her. Although it was quiet, they knew that the forest was alive, quite literally. When nobody was around, the trees morphed into Dryads and back, and they would gossip about the son of Poseidon and daughter of Athena passed by today. Dryad humour - go figure.

"I know where the flag is." Annabeth stated, taking the lead.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Percy was used to this - Annabeth's constant planning and preparation. He didn't really plan anything - he winged it. So what if there was the risk of being beheaded - that's the fun of it, right?

"Those Aphrodite girls can't keep quiet about anything. It's right up ahead and-"

She stopped mid-sentence as two Demigods swung down from the trees above. They wore helmets with blue plumages, and looked pretty annoyed about Percy and Annabeth being this close to their flag.

"_Baklava_!" Annabeth yelled spontaneously. To anyone else, this would have been a strange battle cry - a dessert really wasn't the scariest thing Demigods had to face. But Percy understood right away. It was a codename for one of their tactics. He grabbed his pen - Riptide – clicked it, and wung it just as it morphed into a 3-foot double-edged xiphos, hitting one Demigod on the right with its flat side. The boy fell over, his own sort abandoned, grasping his arm.

Meanwhile Annabeth engaged the other, more skilled opponent. Still, he stood no chance against Athena's brightest. Her grey eyes shone with determination and focus as she anticipated then evaded every move of her opponent and landed a few hits of her own. Percy rushed to her side, and together they easily overpowered the enemy Demigod. He fell to the ground, and his helmet rolled off. The Hephaestus Camper looked up at them, flinching at their pointed swords. "No killing or maiming, right guys?"

Annabeth scowled at him. "Not yet, anyways. Now tell me: are you going to stay quiet, or is Chiron going to need to bring the stretchers?"

The other Demigod shook his still covered face. "We're good."

Percy smiled as they walked away from the two, who kept their word and stayed frozen where they were. "Nice going, Annie."

"Can't go wrong with _baklava_." She replied, looking at the blue team's flag, which stood undefended on its pole about fifty feet ahead of them.

* * *

"Three cheers for Percibeth!" Andrew, one of Apollo's numerous model-like sons, cried. The rest of the red team replied in chorus; "Hip hip, hurray! Hip hip, hurray! Hip hip, hurray!"

Percy's face flushed at all the attention, and he redirected all the praise at his teammates. "You were awesome, dude!" "Great going, whatever your name is!" "Are you kidding, of course I saw you out there!"

When the group finally begun to disperse, he looked over at Annabeth, who wore the blue team's flag like a cape. "Your ego's almost as big as the ocean itself."

He shrugged. "What can I say? You and I make a pretty good team."

"Agreed."

Percy dared to venture on. "What do you say we celebrate tonight?"

She admired her sword for a moment, polishing it with the blue satin. "Talk to one Mr. D's kids, they're the ones who know how to party."

He shook his head. "That's not exactly what I was thinking."

She looked up and raised her eyebrow at him in question.

"What I'm trying to say is," he explained, stumbling over his words. "There's a party in my pants, and you're inv-"

"Attention, Campers!"

Percy groaned as their leader, a centaur named Chiron, trotted onto the pasture. The other campers surrounded him, and Percy followed Annabeth over as well.

"The red team," Chiron announced, "Is the winner of tonight's capture-the-flag game."

The red team broke into cheers and applause, and Percy tried to feel sorry for the blue team, who stood awkwardly, watching. He spotted the two boys they had encountered in the forest, and looked away quickly.

"Therefore," Chiron continued, "The blue team is in charge of dishes tonight."

Protests broke out. One kid yelled, "Why can't the Harpies do it?"

"They're still on strike." Chiron said, looking amused. "Until they negotiate better work conditions from Olympus, you'll will have to take care of yourselves."

The kid who asked the question mumbled to himself. Chiron turned to the rest of the group. "To the pavilion! We've got mac and cheese for dinner!"

* * *

Percy stood in the shower, the rush of the hot water ambient to his thoughts. Steam fogged up Cabin Three's bathroom, and he hummed to himself. He heard a knock on the door, and quickly turned off the water. "Give me a minute!"

It wasn't unusual for people to come into the Cabin, despite him being the only permanent resident. The rest of the Cabins have filled out dramatically in recent weeks, but his remained empty except for the rare occasion when Tyson left their father's palace to come visit.

He wrapped a clean white towel around his waist and opened the door. "Yes?"

The main part of the cabin was dark. He struggled to make out the person walking towards him. "Annabeth?"

She looked him over. She'd seen him shirtless before - being the son of the sea god meant that your shirt didn't stay on very much. Still, she looked away awkwardly. "Gods, Percy, would it hurt you to put some clothes on?"

"As a matter of fact, it would." He answered, leaning on the doorframe. "What are you doing here? It's past curfew."

"Duh, Seaweed Brain," she said. "The Harpies aren't here."

"Touché." He said, smiling like he was up to no good. "What do you say you and I-"

"You've got shampoo in your hair."

"What?" He stopped. "Do not."

"Do too."

He felt his hair with his hand, and brought it down; it was covered in suds.

"Be right back."

He splashed water from the sink onto his hair. "So what brings you here?" He asked. "Or did you simply want to see me without clothes on?"

"Get over yourself, Percy." She said. "We've only been dating for like one month, I don't want anything like that."

His heart sank a little. "Not even a little bit?"

She sighed. "I keep forgetting you're a guy."

"Gee, thanks." He muttered, suddenly feeling conscious of his body - had he developed breasts or something? "What's the supposed to mean?"

"Guys want more than girls."

He stepped closer to her, so that there was only a little bit of space between them. "Well, what do girls want?"

She hesitated, and then placed her hands on his warm, muscled chest, pushing him away. "Not now, Percy. I came to talk to you about something."

He nodded. "Let's talk, then."

She pointed to his PJs on his bed. "First, get dressed."

* * *

"Let me get this straight." Percy said. "You think that the Harpies striking has something to do with the Titans?"

Annabeth nodded anxiously, like his response meant everything.

He gave her a hard look. "Annabeth, I know I'm your boyfriend and everything, but that sounds completely nuts. They're striking because the gods won't pay them or something, not because of the Titans. We beat those guys last summer, remember?"

"Not all of them."

"So what? Nothing has happened since, not anything that could be linked to the Titans anyways."

She sat with her legs tucked up to her chest. She had slipped on one of his hoodies and a pair of guy's sweatpants, and yet she still looked extremely sexy. Her silver owl earrings accented her straight blonde hair, but her lips were set in a pout. Percy didn't like seeing her like this.

"I just don't feel at ease." She said. "If you don't feel it too, it's fine."

"I'm trying to understand," he said quickly. "Don't worry, everything's fine."

She leaned into him, and he hugged her to him. He breathed in the sweet smell of her shampoo. "It's fine."

She spoke into the fabric of his shirt. "If only it was."


	2. Chapter 2 - The Asian Invasion

CHAPTER 2 – THE ASIAN INVASION

Percy woke up in the middle of the night, breathing hard, his sheets clammy with perspiration. He'd had a nightmare. Recently he's been having more of them, but he disregarded it as just another aspect of being a Demigod. He turned to the other side, expecting to see Annabeth asleep beside him. She was not.

"Annie?" he whispered, but quickly spotted his girlfriend in the soft glowing blue light of his fountain. Not a lot of teenage boys have a magical fountain as part of their room's decor, but Percy was not like a lot of teenage boys.

Annabeth hadn't heard him. She was on her knees in front of the fountain, holding a golden Drachma in her hand. He watched as she threw the coin into the mist of the fountain, and it disappeared. "Oh Iris," Annabeth said quietly. "Show me Athena."

The mist rippled and an image formed. Athena was pacing in the gods' throne room, the starry sky above her. Even through the mist, she radiated power. Percy tried hard not to move. "What do you want?"

Annabeth swallowed hard. She probably only got this nervous with her mom. "Have you heard anything since last night?"

"Of course not. Zeus has shut down communications on Olympus. In fact, I'm surprised even this-"

The image wavered, and for a moment Percy thought the connection was lost. But it evened, and Athena reappeared, looking even more irritated than before. "We don't have much time. Has Percy agreed?"

Percy stiffened. Agreed to what?

Annabeth shook her head. "I didn't get to ask him. He... we fell asleep."

Athena shook her head disapprovingly. "Don't fail me, Annabeth. Remember what I told you-"

"I know," Annabeth said. "Asia will take over, and all will be lost."

Percy stifled a laugh. Asia would take over? This had to be some kind of joke.

Athena nodded and opened her mouth to say more, but the connection was lost. The mist settled back into the bottom of the fountain, and Annabeth closed her eyes. It hurt Percy to see his girlfriend in such distress, but he didn't want to let on that he'd been listening. He settled back into the bed, pretending to be asleep. A few minutes later Annabeth crawled in besides him, and he hugged her from behind. As they fell into dreamless sleep, Percy resolved that whatever it was that bothering Annabeth and her mom, he would be there to help.

* * *

Percy and Annabeth took their breakfast into the woods. A bunch of other Campers tried to follow them, hoping to make it a friendly picnic, but Annabeth just glared at them. They got the message.

Annabeth sat down against a tree. Unfortunately, the tree didn't like it.

"What do you think you're doing?" The Dryad said from inside her tree. "What, just because you're Demigod means you can come in here and lean against any tree you'd like?"

Percy rolled his eyes, and Annabeth ignored the Dryad completely. OK, not true - she made sure to lean back extra hard.

"You know what I wish?" The Dryad complained. "I wish I could take off like the Harpies. Of course, if you're a chicken woman you can go wherever you'd like. But if you're a tree? Oh, no! You've gotta stay here until you die. And the working conditions here are terrible and-"

"OK, we'll move to a different tree!" Annabeth said, standing up. "Just shut up!"

Eventually they found a quiet place where they could eat without disturbing the trees. Percy ate ravenously, but Annabeth barely took a bite of her food. "You alright, babe?"

Annabeth looked up at him as if she were noticing him for the first time. "Yeah, fine."

Percy weighted how he wanted to go on with this. "Is there something you wanna talk about?"

She shook her head. He sighed. Why did girls have to be so complicated?

"Look," he said. "I heard you and your mom talking last night. About Asia."

Instead of getting angry, Annabeth looked almost relieved. "It's bad."

"I know you're worried Annie, but it's really not. I mean, sure there's a ton of them, but it's not like they're going to take over the universe."

"But they will, Percy!" Annabeth said. "It's already begun! Just look at them: Justin Bieber, Lady GaGa, Ke$ha..."

"Hold up," Percy said, brow furrowed in confusion. "Um, none of those people are Asian."

"What? Oh gods Percy, that's not what I meant! Asia is the Titan of fame!"

"Ohhhhhh," Percy said, turning deep red. "That's what you meant."

"I swear, sometimes you're just so-"

Percy stopped her with a kiss. He flinched, expecting to be hit, or struck by lightning. Annabeth didn't move until he pulled back. "Thanks," she said. "I needed that."

He nodded. "Any time. So, tell me what you know about this Titan, and why she's so dangerous."

Annabeth explained. Asia was one of the minor Titans, who the gods didn't bother going after in the Great War. She had lived alongside mankind ever since, making normal people famous. Some of her creations were awesome - William Shakespeare, Alexander the Great - but lately, she's been going further and further into the dark side - pop stars.

"So what you're saying is that pop stars are our enemies. Not monsters or anything, but pop stars."

Annabeth shook her head. "You're not getting it, Percy. They're dangerous."

"And this involves us because...?"

"Because they are Demigods."

"Oh."

Percy could understand why Annabeth was worried. Demigods were far more dangerous than monsters, and if Asia was turning them evil it could be a problem. An angry Nico di Angelo could summon zombies, so just think what a pissed off Demigod could do. "Is that why the gods are upset?"

Annabeth nodded. "Zeus wants to send heroes to destroy Asia and the pop stars, but the other gods warned him not to lay a finger on their kids. He doesn't like being told what to do."

"So let me guess," Percy said, cleaning his hands with a napkin and brushing the seat of his pants as they stood up. "If someone doesn't do something, there'll be a civil war between the gods."

"Right."

"And that someone is us."

"Right."

Percy sighed. "For once, I wish I were wrong."

Annabeth ruffled his deep black hair. "Hey, cheer up. We'll do this together."

He kissed her lightly on the nose. "Let's go talk to Chiron."


	3. Chapter 3 - The (Small) Big Three

CHAPTER 3 – THE (SMALL) BIG THREE

"Pop stars, eh?" Chiron asked, a grin on his face, seeming pretty amused.

"This really is serious," Percy insisted, and then looked at Annabeth for reassurance. "Isn't it?"

"He's right, Chiron." She paced the room, absentmindedly tracing her dagger with her fingers. "Asia's on the verge of something major."

"Child, if something was up Olympus would have interfered long ago."

She shook her head. "No, they wouldn't have. They are forbidden. Chiron, have you heard from the gods recently?"

Chiron thought for a minute. "Now that you mention it, it has been fairly quiet lately. I took it for peace."

Annabeth nodded. "Exactly. Percy and I need to go to LA to stop Asia and her minions." She softened her voice. "Besides, think about the poor Demigods she's brainwashed. Don't you wanna help them?"

Percy loved how persuasive his girlfriend was, even if she was probably about to send them to their deaths. He could see Chiron thinking about it. "And," Percy added, suddenly feeling inspired. "We'll take some of the new Campers with us. It'll be like training for them."

Chiron's and Annabeth's faces were polar opposites. His seemed pleased with the idea, while Annabeth seemed completely horrified. "Deal," Chiron said. "You will take three Campers along with you on this quest." He turned to Annabeth, who still looked baffled. "And if your suspicions are correct, you'll want to hurry up."

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow."

"That's, for, ruining, everything, as, usual!"

With each word, Annabeth hit Percy on the head with the teddy bear he had gotten her for Valentine's Day. "Ugh!" She threw it across the Cabin and then went to retrieve it.

"Agreed." Percy said ruefully. "But I had to convince him. Plus, we'll need all the help we can get to fight, er, Justin Bieber."

"You still don't believe me!" She cried accusingly, gathering supplies into her waterproof bag. "You're the worst boyfriend ever." She left the bear on her bunk.

"Hey, I'm sure you don't mean that. I don't imagine Hercules was very good to his girlfriend…"

"Hercules was gay!" She yelled at him and stormed into the bathroom.

Percy looked around the Athena Cabin at all the empty bunks. He wondered if she'd ask any of her siblings to join them. Most likely not, as they would clash. Demigods were good at clashing. So who would they take?

"First three kids we see when we leave this Cabin." Annabeth yelled from the bathroom, as if reading his mind. He prayed to all the gods he knew that the Aphrodite girls weren't busy beautifying themselves right outside the door.

When she was packed, Percy shouldered both packs, took a deep breath and opened the door. They both sighed in relief when they saw that the coast was clear. Everyone was busy with morning activities. "Let's go to the arena," Percy suggested. "Anybody who can handle a sword will be helpful."

Annabeth nodded, but he could tell she was still furious with him. He was so good as messing up.

They walked to the arena, the sounds of clashing metal luring them in. They found their victims companions right away. A group of younger Demigods was practicing, supervised by Michael of the Ares cabin. Percy felt worried that for some reason none of the Campers were wearing armour. They walked up to Michael, and explained the situation to him. He didn't look impressed, but he called out three of the kids they pointed to. They ran over excitedly but nervously, and Percy wished he could just tell them to go back, get far away from them as possible. He didn't want to be responsible for them. And, to be honest, he wasn't terribly impressed.

"I'm Annabeth," Annie said. "And this is Percy. We're going on a quest."

The tallest of the three, who had fiery blonde hair and gleaming green eyes, looked unimpressed. "So?"

"So," Percy said, "You three are coming with us."

"Why?" The girl was wearing her light brown hair in a ponytail, with daisies woven in – clearly a daughter of Demeter.

"Chiron told us you three would be the perfect choice."

Percy hated lying to them, but he could see how sceptical they were and they were losing time.

The last one raised his eyebrows. He seemed to be the youngest of the bunch. "What's the quest?"

Annabeth shook her head. "First we need to know you're onboard with it."

Michael sneered at them. "If you don't go, I'll make you fight Mrs. O'Leary."

They were much more easily swayed after that. Annabeth went with them to their Cabins to pack some supplies while Percy went to report to Chiron. He found him playing cards with Mr. D.

"Jack, Amy, and Travis."

Chiron turned around. "What?"

"Those are the three that are coming with us."

"Another quest, Johnson?" Mr. D asked, making a diet Coke appear in his hand.

"It's Jackson," he growled. "And yes. While you are playing cards, I'm going off to save the world – again."

"Careful, Percy," Chiron warned.

Mr. D shrugged. "Just remember, Peter; I'm one of the gods stopping Zeus from interfering. That means one of them is mine. If you hurt her, I'll wage war against your daddy. You'll find them in Santa Monica, but don't expect any help from me."

With that reassuring thought, Percy left the big house and joined his companions at the beach, careful not to mention to Annabeth that Mr. D had known about her suspicions all along.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Jack, the youngest one, asked.

"NO!" They all yelled back. Percy was already regretting this. Annabeth didn't say anything, but he could see by her fixed expression that she was not pleased with the predicament, either. Her knuckles were white and her face green from riding the hippocampi.

"You know-"

"SHUT UP, PERCY."

"Shutting up."

They rode in silence, watching the waves roll by at super-human speed. Percy spoke in his mind with the sea-horses about sea-horse things, but he was preoccupied. In a few hours the hippocampi will have reached Santa Monica, and they'll have to face a Titan and Demigods with nothing but each other, three newbies, and no plan. He was not looking forward to it.


	4. Chapter 4 - Washed Away

CHAPTER 4 – WASHED AWAY

You'd think Percy would have learnt by now that no heroic journey is as easy as riding into enemy territory and saving the day. But, you'd think wrong.

Hours passed as they rode, each quietly trying to overcome their seasickness and fear. The first sign something was wrong was when the sunny sky just short of the shore turned grey instantaneously and freezing rain began to pour from the heavens.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled, squinting through the sudden downpour. "What's happening?!"

"No idea!" He yelled back. The hippocampi tried to continue swimming towards their destination, but the sea had other plans. A mammoth wave appeared in the horizon, gradually making its way from the shore to the open sea where they were, traveling towards them at an alarming rate.

"Oh my gods!" Amy screamed. "What is that thing?"

"We've gotta get away from it!" Annabeth yelled. She was looking frightfully between the colossal wall of water and the three younger Demigods. They were just barely managing to hang on to the horses.

"We can't!" Percy yelled. "Look, it's too wide!"

He was right. The wave stretched as far as they could see in either direction. The wind picked up, roaring in his ears. _Dad! _He yelled in his mind. _Why is this happening?!_

No response came. It was almost like the waters outside Santa Monica were separate from the rest of the ocean; the god of the sea had no control over it, and neither did his son. For once, Percy felt helpless at sea.

"Help!" Jack screamed, just before slipping from the horse into the churning water.

"Jack!" Amy yelled, jumping off her hippocampi to save him.

"No!" Percy cried. "They'll both drown!"

Before he could attempt a rescue, the wave was upon them. Using what little power he could muster over the ocean, Percy created a giant bubble as the water crashed down on them. As he did, he swore he saw a face in the wave. The bubble protected them from the crushing weight of the water, but as soon as the immediate threat was gone, Percy passed out, and his protective bubble popped.

* * *

_Sand. Percy loved sand. You could do all sorts of fun things with sand; you could build a castle with sand. You could use it to push Hades down a raging hole o' doom. Sand was great._

_ Sand._

_ Sand._

_ Sand!  
_ Percy's eyes shot open as his hands ran over the coarse sand like it was gold. He struggled to get up, but his body was so exhausted he could hardly move. He looked around. He had washed up on a beach. An island, it would seem. It wasn't Santa Monica, but he'd take it. Palm trees provided shade from the sun that shone above him. He looked to his left; nobody. His right; no one in sight. The weight of their packs on his back was notably absent. "Annabeth!" He yelled, suddenly feeling energized. He climbed to his feet. "Annabeth! Jack! Amy! Travis!"

The only response he got was the call of some exotic bird and the hum of insects. A feeling of panic rose in his chest. "No, no, no..."

He fell down to his knees, closed his eyes. He's failed. He couldn't protect the younger Demigods, much less his girlfriend. He-

"Helloooooooooo?"

He slowly opened his eyes. Was that little Jack? He listened some more, but no other sound came. Just before he could blame his imagination, he heard it again, distant and quiet. "Helllllloooooo? Anybody here?"

He tried to spot the little boy. Then he saw him – a small figure across the water on another small island, about one hundred feet from his own island. "Jack!" He yelled. "I'm coming, hold on!"

He ran into the water, forgetting all about the storm that had washed them here. Nothing would stop him from protecting the kid this time. He swam the way in a few moments, still without his powers over the water, and when he reached him he hugged the boy tight. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"Um, Percy? You're kinda chocking me."

"What? Oh, sorry." He let go of the boy. Besides being soaked and covered in sand, seaweed and other sea-matter, he seemed fine. "Is anybody else here?"

"Amy! And Travis, although he's not happy."

Jack led Percy into the trees, where they found the two. Amy sat down on the ground, untangling her hair, while Travis walked back and forth between two trees. When he saw Percy, his eyes narrowed. "You almost killed us! I thought you were the sea prince, you were supposed to save us!"

Percy felt a scowl come to his face, and had to remind himself that Travis didn't mean it. He was just upset. "I did what I could. Have any of you seen Annabeth?"

They shook their heads, and Percy hung his. Just then, they heard somebody crash through the undergrowth. "Percy?" Annabeth cried from the bushes. "Are you dead?"

His heart sped up. "No?"

"Then I'm going to kill you!"

He broke into a wide grin and ran to her.


	5. Chapter 5 - The House in the Jungle

CHAPTER 5 – THE HOUSE IN THE JUNGLE

After Annabeth blew some steam (that is, hit Percy repeatedly on the head), they decided to explore the island they'd been cast on. Percy's pen - his sword - hadn't reappeared in his pocket yet, but he was confident that soon enough it would get there. They walked inwards, away from the beach and into the thick jungle-like vegetation. The three younger Demigods walked close behind Percy and Annabeth, swatting at flies and shielding their faces from the branches that they were carelessly shoving at them.

"Watch it!" Travis cried at Percy. "My mom will kill you if-"

"Your mom's not here, is she?" Percy uncharacteristically snapped. Travis stopped and stared at him, surprised by the outburst. Percy knew it stung, but to be honest, the kid wasn't helping.

They kept walking, and while Percy fell back a bit, Annabeth muttered quietly to herself about 'stupid trees' and other things. Even though they were close to sea, Percy couldn't sense thier positioning. Where in the world were they? The wave that washed them here wasn't natural, he was sure of that. It could have dragged them anywhere.

After another half hour of silence, Annabeth motioned for everyone to stop. "Quiet," she whispered.

Percy quickly joined her in the front, and saw what she was looking at. In the middle of the jungle sat a Greek building, built from white marble that was covered in vines and moss. Smoke rose from an opening in the roof.

Jack pushed Percy aside. "Let me see!"

"Shhh!" Annabeth warned, but it didn't deter him. His eyes gleamed.

"We're saved!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Or we could be in big trouble. What do you say, Annie? What do we do?"

She looked at him, then at Amy. "It looks friendly enough. Maybe Amy and I should go to the door, see if we can talk to someone."

"No way!" Travis said. "I wanna go."

"Forget it," Annabeth said, and Percy sensed that he was getting on her nerves as much as he was getting on his. "Girls are less intimidating."

Then she looked us up and down, taking in the wet clothes, scratched faces, and muddied shoes. "Or maybe not."

"Hey!" Percy protested. "You're not looking much better yourself."

Then he realized what he'd just said. "Wait a minute-"

"We're going." Annabeth said coldly, and yanked Amy, who looked like she was going to wet herself.

Percy wanted to call them back, tell them it isn't safe. Who would build a Greek building in the middle of a deserted island? Nobody sane, that's who.

Still, he watched his girlfriend and the younger girl walk quietly to the door, hands on their weapons. The door opened inwards before they even knocked.

"Welcome!" A woman's voice cried, startling the birds in the trees and making them fly away. Percy couldn't see the woman from where he hid, but Annabeth's surprised face made him anxious.

"Uh, hi!" Amy said, forcing cheerfulness. "I'm Amy, and this Annabeth-"

The woman interrupted her, yelling again. "Tell the boys they can come in, too!"

That meant she knew about them. Percy got the feeling they weren't dealing with somebody mortal, or human for that matter. A monster? He wasn't sure.

Annabeth turned back nervously. "Okay, guys, come on up. Slowly, though, don't want to trip on anything."

Percy knew that her words had double meaning. She was warning them: be ready for anything.

He nodded to the other boys, and led the way towards the door. He felt for Riptide, but it still hasn't shown up. What was taking it so long?  
When they got nearer, Percy finally got to see who was in the house. Just inside the door stood a woman wearing a poncho and a traditional toga - a Mexican Greek in the middle of the ocean? Can't say that's what he was expecting. She had a sun-aged face, with deep wrinkles and brown eyes. By the aura around her, he knew what she was. A goddess.

She shook her head. "You look so rough, dears!"

"We got washed up," Travis growled. Little flames danced in his fists.

"Wonderful!" She exclaimed, seeming delighted. She creeped everybody out.

"I'm Percy Jackson, son of-"

"Posiedon! Of course! How wonderful that you were in that storm!"

He exchanged worried glances with Annabeth. "Who told you?"

"_Her_!" She said, seemingly not referring to anyone in particular.

"Her?"

"Yes! Come meet _her_!"

She hurried into the building, and they were left outside. Jack finally spoke. "Do we go in?"

Percy swallowed hard. "Unless somebody has a better idea."

They didn't.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Challenge

CHAPTER 6 – THE CHALLENGE

The goddesses' house was larger on the inside than it was on the outside. Percy didn't know how that was possible, but Annabeth did of course. "An ancient architectural technique, first used in-"

"Right this way!"

The goddess's voice came from a room at the end of the long hallway they walked in, and they found her standing in a large, modern living room, complete with a large flat-screen TV and… a giant birdcage, covered with a white sheet.

"This is _her_!" She said, and the look in her eyes bugged Percy. "_Her_! _Her_! _Her_!  
"Annie?" He whispered. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She nodded, turning to the goddess. "What can we call you, miss?

"Eris!" She yelled, even though they were standing only a few feet away. "Goddess! I'm a goddess!"

Percy racked his brain, but didn't recognize her. Jack tugged at his shirt, but he ignored him. "Listen, Eris," Percy said. "It was nice meeting you, but I think we need to go. So, if you could just tell us where we are and how to get off this island-"

"NO!" She cut him off, her expression suddenly furious. "You must not leave! Asia commands it!"

That made a lot of sense. She not only knew who they were, but she was also sided with the enemy. And they were in her house. Great.  
"Percy!" Jack whispered, tugging again.

"What?" He snapped, angry that he was distracting him.

He swallowed. "That's Eris, she's the goddess of chaos."

Percy groaned when he heard that, unsure how the situation could possibly get worse. And then, of course, it did.

Eris let out a monstrous laugh, and whipped the white sheet off the birdcage, revealing an old woman inside. The woman held to the bars, eyes open wide with fear.

"You want to leave my island, hu!?"

They all began to back away.

"Well, you can't! To leave you need to play a game! A game of tag!"

Tag? What was she going off about?

"Aha! You think it's going to be easy! But it's not me you play with, it's with Laelaps!"

As if on cue, a large German shepherd ran into the room, growling at us, baring its teeth. "Laelaps, the dog that can catch anything!"

Tag with a vicious magical dog belonging to the goddess of chaos who works for the evil Titan Asia? This kept getting better and better.

"Call it off!" Annabeth yelled. "We don't want trouble!"

The woman in the cage sadly shook her head. "It's no use. The island will keep you here until you win, but nobody's ever won."

"And who are you, exactly?" Percy demanded of the caged woman.

Eris spoke for her, yelling proudly. "This is Leucothea! I captured her!"

Percy knew the name. She was a sea deity, the one who helps sailors in distress. If she'd been kidnapped, it was no wonder that the storm had overpowered them, meaning this wasn't his fault after all...

He got the feeling that between the frightened deity, the growling dog, and their fear, Eris was having a boatload of fun. The chaos in the room was feeding her, making her more powerful.

"Fine," he said, getting everyone's attention. "We'll play tag with Laelaps."

Eris narrowed her eyes at him. "When Laelaps catches you, he'll tear you to pieces! You'll never get off the island, much less get in Asia's way."

Percy tried to keep the act up. "Fine with me. If that's true, there's no danger to you if we play."

Annabeth looked at him with frightened eyes, and it hurt. He knew he'd failed her in the water, so he was determined to pull this off. Somehow, they had to do this. Becoming dog food was not an option. They had to get off the island and return to their quest. "Besides, how long does the game last? You know, in case he doesn't catch us?"

"Impossible!" Eris shrieked. "He will! He will he will he will!"

"But say he didn't," Percy urged. "How long?"

"One hour," she spat. "That's the only rule of Eris's Game."

"Can I talk to my friends for a minute? Just to say goodbye?"

"Fine!" She spat. "I'm timing!"

They huddled, and Travis hissed at him. "What are you thinking? We can't outrun that thing!"

"It's one hour, guys. We can outsmart it! It's a dog, after all!"

"A magical dog that catches everything," Amy muttered. She already looked defeated.

"Then we'll split up and run as fast as we can. He can't catch _all _of us in sixty minutes, can he?"

They shrugged. "Guys, trust me on this."

Annabeth touched his hand. "I trust you Percy. Don't let me down."

Percy grimaced, and nodded. They turned back to Eris. "We accept. But we have some rules of our own."

"Only one rule!" She yelled.

"No, only three," he corrected her. "One, the game lasts one hour, just like you said. Two, we get a head start of five minutes-"

"No, you won't!" Eris said, and for a moment it seemed like she was about to burst into tears. She moved about the room, but kept the cage between her and them.

"We will," Annabeth said sternly. Eris looked at her, and finally agreed.

"Whatever, it won't matter. Right, Laelaps?"

He growled and leaped forward, landing in front of Jack. The boy yelped and ran to hide behind Percy.

"One more rule," he went on, swallowing down his fear. "If we win, you let her go."

He motioned to the deity, who looked surprised, but then her expression turned sad again.

Eris unleashed a horrible laugh, and said, "Don't get her hopes up! Five Demigods are nothing compared to my little pet. You have five minutes. I'll see you in Tartarus."

They didn't have to be told twice. They ran as fast as they could out of the house.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Game

CHAPTER 7 – THE GAME

Percy didn't know much about how the island worked, but he took Eris's word that it wouldn't let them escape once the game had begun. They were stuck here, and had to get as far away as possible.

"Percy!" Travis yelled to him, running on his left. "Where are we going?"

"No idea!" he yelled back. Percy didn't particularly like him, he was too headstrong, but he was still responsible for him. "Annabeth?"

"Working on it!" she called over from their right. "Amy, are you and Jack keeping up? Amy?"

They stopped. "Where'd they go?"

"I don't know!" she said, panicking. "They were running behind me a moment ago, but now-"

"Help!" Jack's voice rang through the jungle. Sweat dripped from Percy's forehead and he didn't smell too great, but he knew there were more important things at stake than personal hygiene. Their lives, in particular.

"Where are you?" Travis hollered, and for a moment Percy didn't see an obnoxious, spoiled kid in his early teens, but a caring friend. The perception vanished when he turned and scowled at him. "We have to go back."

Percy wanted to disagree, knowing that they were losing precious time, but he nodded and backtracked. "Jack! Amy!"

"Look out!"

The warning came a moment too late, as Percy crashed through a hidden gap in the ground and landed in a small underground cave. He groaned and tried to sit up, and saw Amy and Jack sitting across from him. They didn't look impressed. "How are you supposed to get us out if you're in here with us?"

He cursed. "I think I landed on my ankle… it hurts like hell."

"Percy!" Annabeth called from above them, and he saw her face peeking over the edge of the crevice. "Are you okay?"

"No," he muttered. "But I found them."

"Annie!" Amy called. "I need some vines!"

Annabeth ran off to collect some, and we sat in the dark, waiting. Before Percy could ask Amy why she needed vines if she was Demeter's daughter, Travis appeared at the top of the crevice, with a stupid grin on his face. "He'll never catch you now, that's for sure."

"Shut up," Percy muttered, slowly moving his hurting leg. A glint in the dark behind the others caught his eye, and he motioned for them to be quiet. Jack turned around, a terrified expression on his face, and when he saw the large animal, he yelled and fell forward. Like lightning, the orange creature moved, into the back of the cave and through a tunnel that we hadn't seen earlier.

"What was that?" Travis called. "I can't see!"

"Looks like a fox!" Percy called back, forgetting that his foot was hurting, dragging myself into the tunnel. "Amy, Jack, follow me. Travis, find Annie, let her know we're alright. Then run!"

He nodded and was off, and a loud whistle filled the air of the island, followed by distant barking. The game had begun.

The tunnel was just big enough for them to crawl through, with no obvious end in sight. Based on his experiences and adventures, Percy should have known better than to follow a random tunnel on a cursed island. But what choice did they have? Besides, the fox-thing went down this way, so there must be an exit eventually.

The darkness was complete, and Percy had to feel ahead with his hands to make sure he felt the curves of the tunnel. "Left here, guys." "Right."

Eventually, he saw a light in the end of a long stretch of straight tunnel, and he breathed in relief. The orange creature was nowhere to be seen, having been scared out of hiding. What was it?

They crawled out from the tunnel and stretched out on the stretch of beach they had emerged onto. The good news? Laelaps wasn't there. They tried to get closer to the water's edge, but it seemed like it kept getting further with every step – the island's magic.

They broke into a run back into the jungle, although with his foot Percy wasn't going at full speed. Amy and Jack didn't speak, just panted as they went anywhere that their feet would take them.

Percy heard Annabeth scream in the distance, and his face turned white. Did Laelaps find her?

"Annabeth!" he screamed, and began running towards the sound, forgetting the others. They'd been in the tunnel for about ten minutes - what that enough for the evil dog to catch her?

He found her, curled up at the base of a tree, hugging her knees. "Annie!" he cried, running to her. "Did he bite you? What happened?"

She shook her head, not looking at him, and pointed towards a tree a few dozen feet away. Percy walked to it cautiously, and found a large spider web between the branches. He sighed and walked back to her. "Seriously?"

"I hate spiders!" She said, her voice trembling.

"I know," he said soothingly. "When we get out of here I'll buy you a can of spider repellent. Now can we _please _move before Laelaps gets here?"

It was roughly at that point that Laelaps did get there, with the goddess right behind him. "I told you you'd lose!" She laughed, breathing hard. "I caught you!"


	8. Chapter 8 - The Fox and the Hound

CHAPTER 8 – THE FOX AND THE HOUND

Percy felt helpless, defeated. Laelaps, panting loudly, was a giant dog even for a German shepherd, and he knew he'd tear them apart if she said the word. Interestingly, it seemed he wasn't magical - just really good at catching kids who tried to not be caught.

Percy glared at her, and helped Annabeth back to her feet. She stood defiantly beside him, spider forgotten. "You still haven't caught the others."

At precisely that moment Amy and Jack caught up to them, stumbling through the plants. "We're- oh."

The goddess cackled. "You were saying?"

"Travis is still out there," Annabeth said. "The game's not over yet."

She seemed to consider this. "He'll come looking for you soon enough. We've got nearly half an hour left, after all!"

She seemed to be able to tell the time despite not wearing a watch - stupid goddess of chaos and her excellent time-telling abilities.

Laelaps had walked back to his mistress, and sat beside her. "Now, be good captive Demigods and stay here. Otherwise-"

Something flashed past them, an orange blur with - was that Travis? - on it's back. Laelaps crouched, snarling, and Eris gasped. "It… it can't be!"

Travis rode his beast back in front of them, stopping so they could admire him. "Behold!" he laughed. "The fox that can't be caught!"

Percy glanced at Annabeth, who stared, shocked, back at Percy.

"Noooooo!" Eris screamed, and Laelaps barked loudly at the fox, who was the size of a small horse. Could that thing really have been what they'd seen in the cave?

The simple answer is yes, it was. And to make a long story short, the dog that could catch anything could not catch the fox that could not be caught. They chased each other around the island for the next half hour, until Laelaps collapsed, exhausted. The moment it did, Riptide appeared in Percy's pocket, and he pointed it at the goddess. "And now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to leave."

She growled, clouds of fury on her face. "You've proved nothing, Sea Prince."

Percy kept her at bay while Annabeth and Amy ran to get the prisoner deity. When they returned, Amy ordered the vines from the surrounding trees to wrap around Eris until we've left. She struggled, but couldn't get free. They ran away from her as fast as we could, the weakened but grateful Leucothea on Percy's back. They were free.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Twin

CHAPTER 9 – THE TWIN

Free from the island's curse, they were easily able to find the beach where we'd landed. Twilight had fallen on the sea, and the colorful waves broke in the distance where the hippocampi approached, having finally found them with the game over.

They were all filthy, with torn clothes and dirt on every part of us. Still, Percy was elated. While riding his beast away from the island, he almost felt proud of having tricked Eris. Well, proud of Travis.

Percy looked over at the hippo carrying Travis and Jack, and found them to be asleep, gently rocking on the waves. All the anger and resentment he felt for the kid earlier melted away; he was simply trying to make himself felt, and Percy could relate to that. He looked at Amy and Annie, and found them asleep as well. Odd.

_Good work, Percy_.

He shook his head, startled. Had the deity behind him said something?

He turned and she smiled at him, but didn't say anything. He smiled back, but felt unsure of what he'd heard.

_Underneath you._

"Oh!" He exclaimed as he looked over the hippocampi, where he saw his dad swimming alongside them at a godly speed.

Leucothea bowed her head. "Lord Poseidon."

_Hello, friend. I'm glad to have you back. My son and his friends could have used you._

She nodded, ashamed. "I came as soon as I realized Aegeon was trying to sabotage their quest, my lord."

"Wait, who tries to sabotage it?"

"Aegeon," Poseidon explained. "My enemy. He's the inventor of the warship, called the sea goat. I couldn't directly interfere, so I tipped Leucothea."

"I was weak to be captured. I am forever in their debt."

Percy shook his head. "No, you're not. We did what we had to, not for favors."

She nodded gratefully. "I won't fail you again. You can expect a smooth ride to your destination. I will part with you only when we arrive."

Percy nodded, and looked at his dad. "Any news?"

"Asia's strongest minions will be awaiting you. As we speak, her armies gather."

Percy chuckled. "I'd expect nothing less."

* * *

True to her word, Leucothea kept them safe from the various threats of the ocean while they rode through the night. Percy woke in the early morning, sand stuck to his skin, with his companions sprawled out beside him. He blinked in the early light, and breathed in the sweet scent of the ocean. They'd arrived.

He nudged Annabeth. "We're here. Come on, wake up."

Though they protested, everyone gradually woke up, however reluctantly. Percy's muscles were tense, but he stretched and stood up. "Ready to find Asia?"

They found that Poseidon and Leucothea had left them on a stretch of beach behind a warehouse, where not a soul was alive at this time. They slowly, cautiously, walked into the street, looking from side to side to make sure nobody saw them. After all, how would they explain to a stranger - better yet, a cop - what five teenagers in ripped clothes were doing out at this hour? They'd probably think them homeless, which technically could be the truth, but wouldn't help with the situation.

"Are quests always like this?" Jack mumbled, sleep still in his eyes.

"Like what?" Annabeth asked, taking the lead as they rounded the corner onto a main street of the small California town. Percy was temporarily too busy to answer, his gaze fixed on the McDonald's at the end of the concrete stretch.

"Lonely and dirty."

She chuckled. "Usually. But why do you feel lonely? Your friends are right here, and so am I and Percy."

"But Chiron hasn't tried contacting us," he said, sounding sad. "Nobody from Camp has. Or our parents."

His voice tore at Annabeth's heart. She stopped and turned to face him. "It would be dangerous for us to get a signal from Camp, since it would alert others to our location. As for the parents? Well, it's better they don't know _exactly_ what we're doing."

Percy joined her in comforting the kid. "But if they did call, we'd tell them about how we kicked butt back on that island. You're brave, Jack. As are the rest of you - I'm glad Chiron told us to bring you."

Percy was happy to know that Annabeth has come around since they'd set out, especially in how she felt about the kids.

Travis, however, had evidently had enough of the mushy stuff. "So, guys, where exactly are we?"

Percy regarded him, a little annoyed for breaking the nice moment they were having. "Not exactly sure. Not too far from Santa Monica, though."

Travis wasn't impressed. "So I rode a giant fox for half an hour so that the stupid deity wouldn't even take us where we needed to go?"

"Watch it!" Percy warned him. "She might owe us, but you should _never_ disrespect an immortal unless you really hate living."

"Sorry," Travis mumbled, although his expression clearly said otherwise.

"However," Percy continued. "She left us here because we'd be spotted too easily in the city."

"Hold up," Annabeth suddenly said, stopping the entire group short. Percy, who walked behind her, bumped into her. Not that she noticed. She was too busy listening.

"What's going on?" Amy asked.

"Shh!" Annabeth hissed. "Someone's coming. Hide!"

The town might have seemed disserted and silent, but they knew better than to argue with her. They dove to various hiding spots, including large flower pots and a life-size cardboard cut-out of a celebrity chef.

"How are you doing, sir?" Percy muttered as he hid behind the guy's back, making eye contact with Annabeth, who hid behind a parked car across the street. He made a mental note to ask her about her newly sharpened hearing when all this was over.

Just then, they heard a deep rumbling sound – a pickup, rolling toward them from the distance. Nobody bothered to ask how Annabeth had heard it, even though it was clearly still so far away. They waited a few minutes while the rumbling grew louder, and when it was at its loudest, it became silent.

Percy tried to remain calm and wait for whoever it was to pass, but they had other plans. He heard the engine get shut down, and then the door slam shut. Then, a man's voice. "You can come out now, I'm not with her."

Scenarios flashed in each of their minds, everything from hacking the guy to shreds with their swords to searching him for anything to eat. Percy took the lead, and stepped out from behind the cut-out. "Who are you?"

The guy wasn't what he expected, that's for sure. He looked like a farmer, wearing denim overalls and a plaid button-up. His brown hair was cut short, and he had a wheat stalk behind his ear. "Tell the rest of your friends to come out and I'll tell you. And I'm sure I don't need to remind you, no weapons."

The others emerged hesitantly, gathering behind Percy, who kept his hand on his pen. "Now, who are you?"

He studied them for a moment. "The name's Zethus. We're on the same team."

"Oh, yeah?" Annabeth challenged. "Then how come you knew where we were? You were spying on us."

He scoffed. "Really, girl? How hard do you think it is to find a bunch of half-dead Demigods out here? The smell alone was enough."

"We're not half-dead," Percy said. "We're doing fine."

"Is that so? Tell me then, what is your plan to defeat Asia? Do you even know where she is? Who's fighting for her? What she's like?"

They looked at each other for a moment. "No," Jack admitted quietly, the rest of the group feeling quite embarrassed.

"Exactly. Like I said, I'm on your side. Asia's my enemy as much as she is the rest of the world's."

"What's it to you?" Travis asked. "Who are you anyway?"

"Like I said, I'm Zethus. Asia's convinced my brother Amphion that she can make him a star, so he kidnapped your Harpies to prove his loyalty."

"Kidnapped our Harpies?" Amy wondered. "I thought they were on strike."

"No, sweetheart. They're not."

"So this brother of yours," Annabeth said. "Amphion – you want to get him back?"

"More than anything. I need his help on the ranch."

"And we need our Harpies," Percy said.

"So, here's my deal: I'll take you to their hideout – that much I can find. After that is up to you."

Percy glanced at Annabeth. "Sounds like a plan to me."

She nodded slowly. Then, she said something that was definitely uncharacteristic. "Can we stop at McDonald's first?"


	10. Chapter 10 - The Biebs

CHAPTER 10 – THE BIEBS

They all felt a lot better with a few burgers in their bellies, although they had a tough time squeezing into the pickup's cabin. Percy and Travis volunteered to sit in the bed behind for the drive.

While they rode, they talked. Travis told him about his parents – both the immortal one and the human one – and how he got to Camp after the Battle of Manhattan. Percy told him stories from his and Annabeth's adventures, finding Travis particularly interested in their satyr friend Grover.

"Is it true they eat tin cans?"

Percy chuckled. "More than I could tell you, kid."

The road they took was as scenic as much as it was lonely – not a car in sight, even though the sun had risen into the late morning. At first Percy wasn't sure about the Zethus guy, but after he paid for their food and started blasting country music in the truck, he warmed up to him.

When he was in the bathroom, Annabeth had told Percy his story. "He and Amphion are the kids of Zeus and Antiope," she had explained. "He had come to her as a Satyr, seduced her, and she bore the twins."

Percy had wrinkled his nose at the thought of a mortal woman being wooed by a Satyr – even if it were his best friend Grover.

"When Antiope's ex, King Nycteus, found out about it, he attacked her in Sicyon and forced her to expose the twins on Mount Cithaeron. When they grew up, they avenged their mother by killing her tormentor – Nycteus's new wife – and conquering Thebes, where they ruled together."

"What does that have to do with.." Percy motioned to Zethus, who had returned. "Well, this."

"Zethus became a herdsman," Annabeth explained patiently. "His brother became a great singer, which explains Asia's interest in making him famous. As for the Harpies... well, who knows what she wants with them. They'd make a terrible army, that's for sure."

Percy still had trouble with this concept. "So the Titan offers an age-old Demigod fame... what's wrong with that?"

"Magic," she said simply. "She gives them fame with magic, and that's wrong. They become so conceited that they don't see how she's using them to make herself more powerful. Legend has it that when at full-strength, Asia will destroy the world."

Percy still thought about the conversation when the truck slammed to a halt, nearly sending him and Travis flying off the back.

"What's the big idea?" Travis called angrily.

"Zethus!" Percy called, rubbing his neck. "Why'd we stop? We're not- oh."

Percy had stood up to see over the top of the cabin, and his heart sank. Ahead of them was an entire army of strange beings with leathery bat wings, about half the size of a human each. Their faces looked like they'd been punched inwards, but the sheer number of them made it less comical. They had human hands and stumpy legs, and they clearly didn't want them to pass.

Percy jumped down and stood in front of the truck, and noticed Zethus come to stand with him. "Appeared out of nowhere," he said angrily. "Hate the pesky things."

"You know what they are?"

He nodded. "Asia's minions. They harass my cows sometimes. And if they're here, that means Asia knows we're coming, and she's sent them to stop us.

Percy clicked his sword. "Not if I can help it."

Zethus firmly pushed down Percy's sword arm. "What's one blade against hundreds of them?"

Percy hesitated. "What do you suggest?"

"I know Asia, she'll want us alive to audition for American Idol or something." He shivered. "I suggest we let them take us wherever they're going to anyway – it'll be our best chance at getting close enough to attack." He thought for a moment. "And to save my brother."

* * *

The bat-things weren't capable of speech, but they seemed pretty intent on everyone getting back into the truck. Everyone had quickly squeezed in tightly, nobody wanting to be left on the bed.

At once, the army of creatures took off, flapping their wings forcefully. They grabbed the truck with their hands and pulled it into the air, lifting it up and towards Santa Monica.

Percy tried to comfort Jack, who was looking a little green, when one of the monsters knocked on the passenger side window. Annabeth, who sat the closest, rolled down the window. "What do you want?"

The thing mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like _good night_, then threw in a small bomb with sleep gas. Percy had just enough time to yell, "Annie!" before it exploded, knocking everyone out.

* * *

"Ughhhhhh," Travis complained. "My face feels all numb."

"You're lucky you have a face," Annabeth said. "If I wasn't tied down I'd rip it off for complaining so much!"

Percy was the last to awake, slowly opening his eyes into the dark room where they were tied to chairs. He looked around, spotted Annabeth, and started to think of an escape route.

"Good morning, sunshine."

Zethus's gruff voice came from his left, where the guy was tied down like the rest of them. "Where are we?"

Zethus shrugged. "I'll take Asia's hiding place for a hundred."

"About time you woke up!" Annabeth called. "I was worried your snoring would deafen us."

He gave her a dry look. "Any plans?"

"Working on it."

Just then, bright lights filled the room, and they realized they were positioned on the stage of a large theatre – of course.

"Welcome!" A voice boomed from hidden speakers. "To the greatest show on Earth!"

When nobody said anything, the voice continued. "What you're going to see will amaze you beyond-"

"Yeah, yeah!" Zethus called. "Always one for theatrics. Come down here and untie us, Amphion!"

"Amphion isn't my name anymore!" the voice called, sounding enraged. "Not at all! Instead, I'm now someone even better! That is, with better hair! Please welcome, JB!"

The doors at the top of the theatre opened, and a teenager came running down the aisle, smiling wildly. "What did you think of my entrance, brother?"

"Your brother is Justin Bieber?" Amy shrieked, and the others were concerned with how excited she sounded.

"That's right, little girl!" Amphion called. "This is who Asia has helped me become!"

"Helped you?" Zethus cried. "She took you away from your home! Planted nasty stories in tabloids about you! Sent Nymphs to look like strippers in your hotel room!"

"That's how fame works!" Amphion called, and it was bizarre for everyone involved to think that this singing sensation was actually the son of Zeus.

"That's how manipulation works," Annabeth corrected him, and Percy realized this was how they'd get out of this – talking sense into him.

"Whatever, you're all just jealous of my _swag_."

Travis broke into laughter. "Jealous? Of the Biebs? Please."

"It's true!" Amphion yelled. "All working on the ranch ever did for me was get me stinky... fame is fabulous! Everything I'd ever wanted. I'm _happy_."

"And just think how happy you'll be if you actually earn it," Annabeth reasoned. "Asia's given you these fans, but what if you did it yourself? Wouldn't it mean so much more?"

He hesitated. "But she said-"

"Forget what she said," Percy interrupted. "She's a _Titan_ – we're on the same side here. I'm sure that she even forced you to write all those pop tunes just to become more popular."

"Now that you mention it, I really did simply want to write about my cows..."

"And the cows miss you!" Zethus egged him on. "They moo sadly whenever I say your name."

Amphion's eyes filled with tears. "Really?"

His brother nodded. "Come home with me, brother. Untie us, let the kids finish their quest, and we can go back to the ranch. To the cows."

* * *

Only after the twins drove away did the group dare to venture on. "That was weird," Travis concluded, saying what was on everyone's mind.

"A lot of girls' hearts will be broken," Percy said, looking at Amy.

"We'll get over it," she said quietly. "I mean, they will."

"Wait!" Annabeth said. "Listen!"

Now that they were free to walk around the theatre, they could indeed hear what they hadn't before – squawking.

"Is that-"

"Yes!" Annabeth cried happily. "That the sound of a hard-working Harpy!"

Together they pulled back the back curtains and found a door. It was unlocked, so they opened it to find a backroom filled with long tables, stacked high with T-shirts and tour merchandise. Working the machines producing the goods were the Harpies – _their _Harpies.


	11. Chapter 11 - Attack!

CHAPTER 11 – ATTACK!

Once they got the Harpies' attention, it was easy to convince them to side with them. They bargained with everything from threats to forming a union back at Camp. With dozens of chicken ladies at their backs, armed with sewing needles and swords, they marched to the lobby, slammed open the big doors, and found exactly what they were anticipating – Asia and her army of bat monkeys.

"Attack!" Percy yelled from the front, and the luxurious theatre lobby exploded into a surprised frenzy of wings, feathers, and clashing metal. The Demigods and Harpies hacked into the monsters, who had apparently been under the impression they'd never see them again, and soon monster dust covered the floor. The few who still could hopped away, leaving their horrified mistress cornered in front of the tickets stand.

"Curses, Amphion! Can't you do anything right?" Asia yelled, and they got a good look at her for the first time. She was a tall, African American woman. She wore a business suit over a white blouse, and had a Bluetooth on her ear – the image of an evil Titan as a modern businesswoman.

"Stand down!" Percy called, sweating and panting from slashing dozens of bat-monsters. "Or face the consequences."

"Look what you've done to my theatre!" Asia wailed, ignoring his threat. "Amphion was supposed to perform here tonight... now I'll have to reschedule!"

"Maybe you should consider rescheduling forever, because Amphion left," Annabeth said triumphantly, holding her dagger up.

Asia didn't look surprised. "Figures. You pesky kids! No worries, I still have a trick up my sleeve... or shall I say, two?"

The lights went out for a moment, and when they came back, two women stood at Asia's side. Well, one of them stood, still surrounded by purple teleportation smoke. The other was passed out at her feet.

"Ke$ha!" Asia shrieked, throwing down her Bluetooth and bending to the woman. "What's wrong with her, Gaga?"

They turned to see Lady Gaga herself at Asia's side, holding a long pole with a crystal dagger on its end – her Disco Stick. Gaga rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Intoxicated, as usual."

"What's going on here?" Percy whispered to Annabeth while they weren't paying them any attention.

"Remember telling me one of her minions is Mr. D's kid?"

"Yeah?"

She nodded towards the woman on the floor. "I think we found her."

Asia straightened up, seemingly realizing she couldn't wake her minion up. "Never mind, I'll take care of her later. Finish them, Gaga!"

"With pleasure. Little Monsters, to my side!"

Gaga's battle cry echoed in the cavernous room, but nothing happened. The group looked around, expecting something – anything – to happen.

"Where are my Little Monsters?" Gaga demanded, turning to her boss. "You promised me Little Monsters!"

"The kids killed them!" Asia groaned. She was _not_ having a good day. "Use the Disco Stick! Or sing at them! DO SOMETHING!"

Travis chuckled. "I don't know, Asia. It seems to me like five Demigods overpowered you. Face it, your minions are powerless now. And if you had any power, you'd have used it by now."

He was right. Fighting was not Asia's style.

Amy bravely stepped up, and poisonous weeds cracked through the carpet underneath her. "Time to say bye-bye."

"This isn't over," Asia warned them, punching something into her Blackberry. "I'll take over the world! I'll turn you all into celebrities! Kim Kardashian _will_ rule!"

She exploded into a cloud of purple smoke, and they turned their attention to the Lady. "You're a Demigod," Annabeth said. "Probably Hecate's, judging by the magic. We won't hurt you unless you give us a reason to."

Gaga snapped her fingers, and her black combat uniform transformed into a dress made of steak. "I have an appointment in half an hour. So, if you'll excuse me..."

She strutted between them, through the front door, and disappeared.

Jack watched her go, and then turned back, grinning. "I don't know how quests usually go, but it looks to me like we rocked this one."

Percy put his arm around the kid, sheathing his sword. "The Titan is gone, her minions have abandoned her, and the Harpies are free – seems like it to me."

"Just one question," Travis said, and they turned to see him crouched over Mr. D's daughter, who still snored on the floor. "What about her?"


	12. Chapter 12 - Rehab

CHAPTER 12 – REHAB

With the gods finally at rest and the ban of gods interfering lifted, it was easy to catch a ride home. Conveniently, Apollo's chariot was just overhead when they emerged, Ke$ha slung over Percy's shoulders, with Annabeth giving her death glares while brushing Little Monster dust off herself.

The sun chariot descended, become a bright red minibus. "Long time no see, kiddoes!" hottie Apollo called. "Miss your uncle?"

Then he looked behind them and saw the Harpies. "On second thought, let me call reinforcements."

* * *

"But _daddy_!"

"No buts!" Mr. D called. "You're on rehab until you sober up!"

"You make me wanna _blow_!"

"Quote your songs at me some more, will you?" He grumbled, closing the door to the Big House behind him. "Does you a lot of good."

He saw Percy waiting for him, and kept walking past. "What do you want, Johnson?"

"I just saved your daughter, you could at least get my name right."

"Hardly saved her, look at the state she's in."

Percy stopped trying to keep in pace with him, realizing this conversation wasn't going anywhere. He smiled to himself and ran to the Athena Cabin, where his girlfriend was taking a much-needed shower. When he came in she was already dressed and brushing her hair. He stopped at the door, and looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, still grinning. "It's just really good to be home."

"Yeah, well, don't get too comfortable. I just talked with my mom, and-"

"You talked to your mom in the shower?"

"What? No, before that. Anyway, Olympus is up and running again, but that doesn't mean everything's good."

"What do you mean? Amphion's back on his brother's ranch, Ke$ha's in rehab at Camp, and last time I checked, Gaga wasn't in _People_ magazine."

"But Asia's still around."

"She is?"

Annabeth nodded. "That's right. Athena's spotted her in Japan. That's some serious teleportation."

"Japan, eh?" Percy shook his head, sitting beside her. "The irony is killing me."

"So, keep your bag packed. We might just be taking an overseas trip soon. Word has it she's brainwashed some Canadian – Avril something."

He put his arm around her, and she fell into him. "As long as I'm with you, I'm game."

She put the brush down and looked him hard in the eyes. "You know something? I've changed my mind. A month is definitely enough."

She pushed him onto the bed, and Percy felt like he was going to explode from happiness. She lay on top of him, kissed him passionately, and to Percy it was pretty much the best above-water kiss of all time.

* * *

* * * THE END * * *


End file.
